Midnight Hour
by Mad Love Dreamer
Summary: There were explosions all around her. Bullets whistled past her head, she clutched her side where one of the bullets had grazed her and still she fought. She fought for the only person she had left in her life. Judith. Judith. She had to find Judith. AU Bethyl
1. Prologue

**Midnight Hour: A Daryl and Beth A****U**

**Prologue:**

There were explosions all around her. Bullets whistled past her head, she clutched her side where one of the bullets had grazed her and still she fought. She fought for the only person she had left in her life. Judith. Judith. She had to find Judith.

Beth had watched as the Governor had decapitated her father. She had watched her sister fall to the walkers and Glenn never left her side. He too went down fighting with Maggie. She didn't know where Rick or Carl had escaped to. She didn't know if they were even alive. Carol. Michonne. Tyreese. Sasha. Bob. Lizzie and Mika. Her family. She didn't know if any of them survived, but if they had they knew how to look after each other. The only concern she had now was Judith. Judith was a baby. She couldn't look after herself. Beth would protect her.

Beth heard the crying of the baby as she fought her way through the walkers. She had a gun in one hand and her tanto in the other. She fell to the ground as a walker grabbed at her ankle. Beth wheezed at the hard fall but turned and kicked as hard as she could and she heard the satisfying crunch of the walker's skull. She scrambled to her feet as she felt another bullet whiz by her and then a huge explosion as the tank… a freaking TANK shot at the prison wall behind her raining down rubble and other debris. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!" She slid behind the overturned bleachers and fired at a man with a rifle who had just shot an unarmed woman. The man fell and she took off again in the direction of the baby's cry. "I'm coming Judy. I'm coming"

She rounded the last corner and saw Lizzie fall to a walker as Mika held Judith close to her chest. "Mika!" Beth screamed as she took off at a dead run. She jumped over the fallen Lizzie; it was too late for her, and landed on the walkers back and stabbed it in the skull and then turned and shot another walker at point blank range. Beth looked over at Mika through her blond hair and red rimmed eyes. "Run. I'll be right behind you. Run!" Beth twisted her upper body and rolled out of the way of another walker. "Right here you bastards! Come and get me!" Beth fought two walkers that lunged at her, and then the next two that was right behind them. She was starting to get winded but she was glad that she took it upon her self to exercise daily since they had come to the prison. She had gotten Michonne to teach her to fight and she had even wielded Michonne's katana and gotten some what proficient in its use. She preferred the smaller Tanto katana and that's what she used to stab the last walker in the eye. She had Rick teach her about hand guns and the insistence of her father.

Her father. Her stomach twisted at the memory of Hershel's death at the hands of the governor. The bile rose in her throat at the thought of that evil man getting away with his murder… she wanted to kill him. Kill him with her own hands. Revenge.

Beth shook her head. She took off into the direction Mika had ran, grabbing the back pack that doubled as Judith's diaper bag. It was still a fight as she made her way into the woods and met up with Mika who had hidden by one of the trees. Her face was streaked with tears but she still held Judith tight in her arms. "Come Mika. We have to keep going. We aren't safe out here. We need to find some where to bed down for the night." Beth took Judith from Mika and gave Mika the back pack to carry as well as one of her knives she had strapped to her upper thigh.

She sheathed her tanto blade and gripped the glock in her right hand held Judith against her with her left arm. They ran. Ducking under tree limbs and jumping over logs. She could still here the guns from the prison and the explosions but they sounded distant. The wheezing moans and growls of the walkers were slowly over riding the noise of the prison attack.

Beth came to a grudging halt when she noticed that she didn't hear a second pair of feet behind her. "Mika?" Beth looked over her shoulder and saw that Mika was leaned against a tree trying to catch her breath. Her hands were on her knees and her head hung low.

"Beth, I don't know if I can run anymore. I'm so tired." Mika groaned as she fell to her knees. A sob escaped her frail body. Beth felt sadness overwhelm her but now was not the time to give into her grief. Judith yanked at her hair as if to remind Beth that they couldn't stay there.

Beth kissed Judy on the temple, " I know sweetie," She said to her and then focused her attention on Mika. " I know your tired, I know you are sad beyond anything. This is not the time nor the place to give into your grief Mika. We need to get further away and find somewhere safe to spend the night. We can grieve our loved ones once we are safe. They would want us to be safe."

Mika sucked in her breath and bit back a sob, "I know…" Mika used the tree behind her and walked towards Beth and Judith. "Beth, you're bleeding!"

Beth looked down and saw that blood was running freely down her right side and the whole right side of her jeans were dark red. She grimaced as if now seeing all the blood she felt the sting of where the bullet had grazed her. She grimaced, all though it hadn't penetrated her body it still needed to be treated. "The sooner we get to a safe place, then the sooner we can get it treated. Mika, let's go!" Beth took off at a jog hoping that Mika would be able to keep up with her. She could hear the dead getting closer and her fresh blood was making matters worse.

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Daryl sniffed the wind. He smelled nothing but rotting flesh, the natural smell of the woods around him and smoke. He snorted at the smell of the smoke and shook his head back and forth. He hated the smell of smoke, it was acrid and choking. Smoke meant humans. He was surprised that there were any humans left. If they hadn't been destroyed by their dead then they were destroying themselves. He had seen what the humans could do to each other before the end and he had witnessed what they could do to each other after the end. Humans. He heard loud noises and screams coming from the large prison that he usually passed as he hunted.

He knew that there had been some humans who had taken up residence there, guess they had figured they would be safe. In this new world, there wasn't a safe place. He heard something go crashing into the woods not far from where he watched the fighting. He tilted his head, it was more then one something's, it sounded like two separate footsteps. They were moving, and quickly. Daryl let his curiosity get the better of him and took off at an easy lope towards the crashing noise. He dodged the rotter's as they tried to grab a hold of him. They were too clumsy and usually ended up tripping and falling to the ground. He snuffed at that. He found it somewhat humorous. Guess that's why he found his wolf form easier to get around in then his gangly human form.

He sniffed the ground and smelt the fresh blood splattering the ground. He licked his lips, and tasted it. It was fresh. He took off at an easy run deftly tracking the two humans and… his ears flicked forward as he heard a distinct whimper of a baby. He growled. The young was helpless. A child in this cruel dangerous world didn't stand a chance. Who would bring such an innocent life into a world like this?

Daryl sped up his pace and started tracking the two women and the innocent child they had with them. These woods were crawling with the dead. He feared for the little ones life.

_**Okay… that's it for now. Before I post any more chapters I wanted to know if its even worth my time to write it. The idea just would not leave me alone and so I had to write it. Let me know what you think**_!

MLD


	2. Chapter One: Hunted

**Midnight Hour: A Beth and Daryl AU**

_You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you._

_-Breaking Benjamin 'Breath'_

**Chapter One: Hunted**

The sun was setting and they had yet to find somewhere to bunk for the night. Beth was starting to get worried that they wouldn't find anywhere to rest for the night. She couldn't risk the children sleeping out in the open, especially with her bleeding the way she was. She leaned against the tree and shifted Judith who had been quite throughout the whole journey so far. It was like she could sense the danger that they were in. She was a good baby. "Oh Judy, what are we going to do? I promised to protect you and I can't even find shelter for the night." She bit her bottom lip hard to keep from crying. It was something she couldn't afford to do at the moment… nor anytime in the foreseeable future.

Beth felt a tug on the hem of her shirt and looked down to see Mika. "Beth… it's almost dark. The sun is setting. What are we going to do?" Beth swallowed and looked down at Mika. She placed her arm around the young girls shoulder. "We're going to survive, Mika. No matter what, we owe it to the people who died today. We must survive."

'Please let there be shelter up ahead. Please Lord.' Beth sent up a silent prayer. "C'mon, let's get going. Just a little further. I can feel it. We'll be some place safe." They had been on the run for at least four hours, she was going to have to feed Judith soon. She thanked god that Mika had the diaper bag on her, otherwise she would have had to double back to the prison and get whatever formula and baby food was left. She didn't know how long it was going to take her to find more. Glenn and the others had pretty much raided the area around them for all they could find. She did not want to go back to the prison and see the destruction the Governor had left behind. It would hurt too much.

Beth stopped in her tracks as she felt the hair on her neck rise, and goose pimples break out on her arms. She felt like they were being stalked… hunted. Not the normal hunted, like the walkers do when they are on your trail but hunted by a predator. She tilted her head to listen, straining her hearing trying to listen solely on the hunter and not the walkers in the woods. She couldn't hear anything but she knew there was something there. Something that may be even more dangerous than the walkers stalking them in the dying light of the sun.

She began moving again, motioning to Mika to tread carefully.

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Daryl lowered himself onto his belly as he watched the group of three through the dying light of day. His ears were perked forward as he listened and observed. The women holding the baby seemed young, too young to have two children. She had blonde hair tied up in a messy pony tail, most of her hair had come loose and had curling tendrils framing her young face that looked like it had seen too much violence. She was wearing what used to be a yellow shirt that was stained red and brown with old blood and apparently new. She was the one that was bleeding all over the damn place drawing walkers out of their stupors in the woods. She had a small sword on her back and she was clad in tight fitting jeans that were also stained with blood, old and fresh. Her hiking boots had seen better days but what stood out more were the weapons she hard strapped to her body. On each thigh she had knives sheathed, she was wearing a harness that held guns on both her right and left side of her upper body. He could also tell that she had extra clips in her pockets and knives stashed in her boots. She was true to her word when she said that she had planned on surviving. She was a fighter.

He watched as she started walking again and he stood up, trying to keep enough distance between them that he wouldn't be seen but that he could keep an eye on them. The baby he noticed stayed quite. He could tell that she wasn't asleep but alert and sucking on her thumb. She could obviously tell when she needed to keep calm and quite. The young girl was dragging behind the two and she looked like she was about to drop from exhaustion. They needed to find shelter and fast. The little ones did not need to spend the night out in these woods. It was way too dangerous. The woman needed to tend to her wound before she passed out from blood loss. Though he could tell it was barely a graze from the amount of blood that came out he knew that if it was left unattended for too long it would not turn out pretty. All three would be dead then. He couldn't let that happen.

Daryl decided that he would try to herd them in the direction of a cabin that he usually used when he had to go human for a while. He crept slowly out of his hiding place and began to walk towards them, a snarl on his muzzle, teeth showing. Trying to look feral enough to make them run. Hell, it wasn't like he could just come out and say, hey my cabins out this a way... he would be stark ass naked. Not the first impression he would want to make on a young child. He wasn't a perve. He let out a low growl to get their attention.

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Beth heard the growl come from behind them and she froze in her steps. That was not a walker growl. She started to pant in panic. It sounded like a feral dog. Mika eeped and ducked behind her, clutching tight at her. She could hear her trying not to scream. She applauded the young girls attempt at trying not to draw any more trouble upon them. Beth was only one person, she wasn't a super human.

Beth turned and let out a gasp. It was the biggest wolf she had ever seen. It had to come up to just below her chest, it practically dwarfed Mika in its size. It was also black as Midnight and had piercing blue eyes… she had never seen the like before in her whole entire 18 years and she grew up on a farm so she had seen her share of animals… but wolves in this part of Georgia, especially that big. It had to be a new breed.

Beth put herself between the wolf and Mika and slowly started backing up. 'So this was where the hunted feeling was coming from. Michonne told me to always listen to my gut instinct.' She watched the wolf cautiously, when they took four steps back it would advance one step and growl. She tried to go left, it stepped left and blocked her way, she stepped right in would advance a step. It almost felt like it was herding them in a certain direction. Beth went with instinct. She kept backing up in one direction. They stepped four, it stepped one.

That was until Mika screamed as a walker stumbled upon them. Beth had one of her knives out of its sheath of her thigh and had stabbed the walker in the head but then more decided to show up. She silently cursed. "Mika! Take the baby. Run!" She shoved Mika and kicked at the walker that had lurched towards the children.

That was when the wolf jumped to attack. Beth raised her hands up into her face as she was sure it was going to attack her, being fresh meat and not the rot of the corpses, but she never felt the teeth sink into her flesh. She brought down her arms and saw that the wolf was attacking the walker that was going after the children. She thought that it was strange but then she got busy fighting off three walkers that had knocked her to the ground. She grunted with exertion as she rolled out from under them, swept her leg and knocked them off their feet and onto the ground. She used her boots to crunch their skulls and lurched to the right just in time to avoid being bit on the shoulder by another walker. She couldn't die, she had to protect the children. She reached behind her and unsheathed her Tanto and swung it to decapitate the walker that had tried to bite her. She would have made Michonne proud. She kept fighting as they kept coming. She hoped that the children had escaped, she was vaguely aware of the snarling and growling of the wolf in the background of the fighting. The sound kept getting more distant and she had the feeling that maybe the wolf had decided to go after the weaker prey… the children.

Beth roared and stabbed at the last walker and took off in a dead run in the direction of the wolf and the children. She wanted to yell out, but she couldn't. It would attract more walkers. Damn It! She was jumping over the dead walkers that the wolf had apparently killed, they were shredded, their skulls crushed underneath powerful jaws. An image flashed before, the image of what the wolf could do to Mika and Judith. That image, that graphic horrible image urged her on. Her arms pumping, her gait longer, the gun gripped in her hand. Knuckles tight and white with fear.

If Beth lost those two little girls, she didn't know if she could go on surviving. Sure she had talked big about surviving earlier, but that was because she had something, someone to live for. Her father was dead, her sister was dead, and Glenn was dead… she didn't know who else had survived… she shook her head to clear her mind. She had to focus on the now, and the now was getting to Judith and Mika before they became a meal for a walker or a wolf.

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Daryl could hear the woman, Beth he believed he had heard the younger child call the woman, crashing behind him through the woods. She was making an awful ruckus. More walkers were going to descend on them before he even had a chance to catch up to the children. He silently took down another walker and leaped over its fallen body as he caught site of the young children. They were heading in the right direction. They would come upon the cabin shortly. He had it well stocked for when he became human. There was medical kit, food, extra clothing, a fire place and believe it or not running water. He was amazed when he had stumbled upon the little cabin after the end had happened. He had decided to keep it a secret from his brother Merle at the time and now he was glad that he had. He had needed something that was his and his alone at the time. It was tiring having to fight with his brother over meager items, he would hate to have had to go at it with him over the cabin.

Merle had fallen in with a pack about a month ago. Daryl had thought they were bad news from the beginning but he hadn't been able to talk Merle out of it. Daryl was not of the pack mentality to begin with and with there not being much of their kind up around the North Georgia Mountains, it had just been him and his brother for a very long time. His family treated them like shit anyway. His father was a piece of shit who thought that pitting the brothers against each other in fights was the best thing since beer. Asshole. His mother had died from a fire and he hadn't really gotten to know her. From what he did know of her, he wasn't missing much. The only thing she gave a damn about was her smokes and her wine. She didn't care about her trash kids. Halflings that they were.

Daryl shook his head to get the memories out of his head. He had to focus on getting the children to the cabin. He didn't have time to live in the past, the past didn't matter. Only the here and now.

Here and now.

Daryl turned and saw that the woman Beth was catching up to him. She was a mad woman, there wasn't much of anything that could keep up with his speed. 'Shit.' He sped up his pace as he felt a knife whistle past his ear. Daryl stumbled and turned to growl at the woman. 'The fuck!' He turned back around and ran through some of the denser trees.

Beth cursed as she saw the wolf dive into the thicker trees. She kept running a straight path, tracking the children. She could her the high piercing wail of Judith and she about had a heart attack right there on the spot. "JUDITH!" Beth screamed, fighting back tears at the fact that they were in danger.

Daryl heard the wail of the child and bit back a howl. He would be damned to hell if there was anything going to hurt those children. He was almost there. He could see through the trees as the child who was carrying the baby was trying to open the door of the cabin but she couldn't get it to turn. Walkers were surrounding them and the baby was laid down on the ground as the child had tried to use bother her hands to open the door. He also heard a scream that chilled him to the bone. The woman Beth sounded like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

Daryl growled and the odd protective instinct that surged though him as he launched himself through the tree line. He barreled his way through the walkers and put himself between the walkers and the children. He snarled and snapped and bit at anything that came close to touching him.

Beth burst out of the tree line. Sword in one hand and gun in the other. Daryl had never in his life seen something as magnificent as what he saw before him. She had leaves sticking out of her hair, a wild look in her eyes. She was covered in gore from walkers and gashes from the limbs and briars that had caught at her clothing and skin. She didn't stop as she fell into the horde of walkers the surrounded them. He used his large body to push the child into the wood of the cabin and huddled over the crying baby.

He felt the child's hands curl into bristling fur. He smelled the fear coming off of her in waves but he also knew that it wasn't him that she was afraid of now. It was the dead that surrounded them. The rotting corpses. 'Fucking Rotter's.' He thought as he used his massive jaws to crunch a skull that landed in front of him and started to roll towards the baby. Its jaws still snapping, looking for flesh. He hated the rotting taste that it left in his mouth, the ink black that dripped from his mouth. It was horrid. He wanted to wretch.

Beth couldn't believe what she had seen when she came out of the woods. The wolf seemed to be putting himself between the walkers and the children. She couldn't process what she was seeing so instead of trying to make sense of what was happening she done the only thing that made sense to her. She killed walkers. "Mika, get the door open!"

Daryl felt Mika turn and try for the door again. He heard the door click when it finally opened this time. He pushed Mika through and picked up baby Judith by her diaper and placed her inside the door. He let out a low short bark to get Beth's attention. There were walkers still coming but they were coming from far off. She had pretty much demolished the little herd that had showed up at the cabin.

Beth looked over her shoulder as she stabbed the last walker between the eyes. She yanked the tonto out and saw that Mika had Judith and was inside the cabin. She was so relieved that she just wanted to fall onto the ground and cry. They had found shelter. They had found some place safe. She looked over at the black wolf with the piercing blue eyes, "Thank you. I don't understand what's going on here… but I thank you for protecting them when I couldn't." Beth made her legs move and walked past the thresh hold of the cabin where she collapsed. Her sword clattered out of her hand.

'Well fuck.' Daryl thought as his eyes looked over at the two children. Now what was he going to do. He had decided that he wasn't going to become human yet, if at all. All he did know was that he wanted to protect this small group of females. Daryl huffed as he stepped over Beth to gain entrance to the cabin. He looked around and saw that Mika had made a pallet on the floor with his pillows and blankets for the baby and walked over to Beth. She picked up Beth's blade and set it on the small table against the wall. She then picked the gun and laid it beside the sword. She grabbed ahold of Beth's arms and tried to pull the woman all the way into the cabin. She had moved her about an inch and that was all she could do before she landed with a thump on her bottom.

Daryl used his head and pushed the small girl to the side and looked down at the unconscious figure on the floor of the cabin. Internally he sighed and reached down with his muzzle and clamped his teeth on the back of her jeans and belt in a parody of how he had picked up the baby, and tugged Beth in without an issue. Once he had her all the way into the cabin the girl, Mika, got up and hastily slammed the door shut and he heard the snick of the door being locked.

He let go of Beth and used his head to flip her onto her back. He sniffed at her and the turned towards Mika and then went to the bathroom. He heard the small steps following him and he had to think that the young girl was smart. He watched as she opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out the first aid kit. He moved back to Beth and looked her over from head to toe looking for bites or scratches from walkers. He didn't see anything but that didn't mean anything. He walked away from Beth as Mika cracked open the first aid kit and pulled out the antiseptic and gauze. She had also gotten a large bowl from the kitchen and filled it with water. Apparently she had also found a wash cloth. 'Smart girl.' He thought to himself one last time before he walked over to the baby who was lying on the pallet by the bed. She was fast asleep. Her breathing normal and even. He sniffed at her and smelled urine. He snorted. He paced around the pallet before he decided that he would lay down beside the baby. He curled his tail around her and propped his head on his front paws as he watched Mika clean and bandage Beth's wounds.

A routine hunting outing had turned into something completely different and he found himself saddled with three females. Today had turned out to be a very strange day, he thought as the last rays of the setting sun streamed through the cracks of the boarded up window.

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_**Well, there it is. Chapter One of Midnight Hour. Please leave a review. Let me know what you think. **_

~MLD


	3. Chapter Two: Grief

**Midnight Hour: A Daryl and Beth AU**

Chapter Two: Grief

Mika picked up the back pack that serves as Judith's diaper bag. She wasn't sure exactly what contents the bag held, she had grabbed it in a hurry when she had heard the loud boom of the tank firing. She had been so scared and confused. Lizzy had picked up Judith and they had attempt to make their way to the bus when the walkers had attacked them in the courtyard.

Mika had snatched Judith from Lizzy and huddled against the wall. She knew that her sister was sick. She knew that she didn't see the walkers as completely dangerous, she had still seen them as people. She remembered when she was walking with her sister one day. Her sister had had a mouse and was feeding the walkers. She had even given them names. Mika had known then that her sister would not survive these times.

Mika shook her head as if she could shake the memories of her sister. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she emptied the contents of the diaper bag onto the bed. Its contents consisted of two bottles, three reusable diapers, two cans of formula, one jar of Vaseline, three jars of baby food, two baby blankets, two outfits, one stuffed rabbit and one bottle of already boiled water. There wasn't much at all. She knew Judith could go through one whole can of formula in a week…

First thing first, she had already taken care of Beth to the best of her ability. She had used what little first aid knowledge she had learned from Carol at the prison. She had been teaching classes to the children on how to defend themselves as well as how to stop bleeding and dress certain types of wounds with only scarce items. Infection could kill you just as well as walkers. Now, she had to take care of baby Judith who was still sleeping with the black wolf curled around her.

Mika did not understand what had happened or what was currently happening with the wolf. She had never heard nor seen a wolf act like this one had. Neither did she remember wolves being that big. All she knew was that it had protected her and Judith. If it hadn't been for the wolf they would be dead. She had been afraid when she had seen the wild animal walk out of the shadows towards them, and then that was when the walkers had shown up. All she could do was run. Mika let out a shuddering sigh and blinked her burning eyes. She was so sleepy. Surely if Judith woke up it would wake her up. Just a short nap…

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Daryl's ears twitched as he heard a light snoring sound coming from his bed. 'Well shit,' he thought as he looked down at the baby stirring on the pallet. What was he going to do now? Daryl let out a high pitched whine as he stood up and walked over to the sleeping woman on the floor. He couldn't afford the baby to start crying and bringing a herd of walkers down upon them.

He nudged the sleeping woman with his muzzle. She didn't stir. He blew in her face and tugged on her in an attempt to wake her. It didn't succeed. She didn't even twitch. 'Great.' If it wasn't for the fact that he could see her chest rising and falling he would think her dead. Her clothes were still covered in gore and blood. She still had leaves in her hair and dirt under her fingernails, but her skin was wiped clean. He could smell the stench of antiseptic and antibiotic cream. He decided to leave the woman and walk over to look down at the baby who had now rolled over to her tummy and was pushing herself up into a sitting position. 'Well, seeing as I don't have much of a choice at this moment…' Daryl walked over to his closet and with one thought, he was human.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been human. He opened the closet door and pulled out a pair of jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt. He dressed quickly and turned on his bare feet to look over at the baby who had made her way over to where Beth was laying. The baby had her hands tangled in the woman's hair. He decided to let her be while he walked over to the sleeping girl in his bed.

He glanced down at the items and took a bottle, water and the formula. He turned away and walked over to the kitchen counter as he read the directions in the soft candle light. He read it several times to make sure he understood. He could see the faint lines on the bottle and filled it up to the six. He added three scoops to the bottle and screwed the lid on. Shaking the bottle he turned and made his way back to the baby.

"Looks like it's just you and me kid." His voice sounded gravely from not having spoken in such a long time. Judith started bouncing up and down on her bottom and smiled up at him. Daryl scowled and scooped up the baby and walked over to the couch and sat down. It was a worn couch, faded plaid and a little scratchy but comfortable. It reminded him of the one he had in his old trailer he lived in before everything went to shit. His brother used to crash on that old couch he had bought from a rundown thrift store for twenty bucks. His brother… he hadn't seen Merle in almost six months. That was the last time he had been human also, now that he thought about it.

His brother had fallen in with a pack of wolves that Daryl hadn't trusted. He had gotten a bad vibe from them, and their leader Joe was just twitchy. Sure they had a code, a stupid code, but a code none the less. He had travelled with them for almost two weeks before he and his brother got into a fight. He had decided to walk away instead of killing his brother which, with the code, would've been what had to happen. He did not consider himself a pack animal. More of a loner. He preferred it that way.

But then again… here he was with three females. He looked down at the baby in his lap and grunted. She had finished the bottle and was now chewing on the nipped staring up at him. "What you looked at lil bit?" He growled at which in turn made her smile even wider at him. He scowled and took the bottle away from her and made his way back to the pallet. He laid her down and went back to the bed to get a diaper. Thankfully it was just a pee diaper. He didn't know if he could change the other one. No, he decided that he was not even going to think about that. Not at all.

After he had gotten the baby situated and she fell back asleep he got up and walked over to the bed and put all the items back in the diaper bag and set it on the floor next to the bed. He bent over and picked up the sleeping child and put her on the couch. He then looked over at the woman on the floor. She was on her back, her arms lying beside her and she was softly snoring.

He walked over to her and lifted her up in his arms. He walked over to the bed and laid her down, her head lolled to the side. He cocked his head to the side and stood there staring. He hadn't been kidding himself when he said that she was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen when she had burst out of the tree line like some wild animal. She had been covered in blood and gore from her previous kills and the look in her eyes was one of determination… and fear. She had succeeded in killing the walkers and making sure the children were safe before she had given in to her exhaustion and wounds. She was strong. She was a survivor. She was beautiful.

Daryl shook his head. What was he thinking? He had to be twice her age. She couldn't be no older then seventeen. A kid. Hell, he was old enough to be her father for fucks sake… He tried to back away from her sleeping form but found his body wouldn't listen to him. Instead, he found himself setting on the edge of the bed as his eyes roved over her slender form. From her honey blond hair to boot clad feet. She was fucking perfect in his eyes. Daryl ran a shaking finger along her jaw and marvel at how smooth her skin felt.

He snatched his hand away. He had to stop this, he technically hadn't even met her yet, and no doubt she would think him some freak. A beast. Sure she had thanked him for saving their lives… but that was when he was a wolf. Daryl turned his head away from her but found himself looking back down at her. He decided to focus on checking the wound on her side. It appeared to be the worst and it would get his mind off the other things he shouldn't be thinking.

Daryl lifted the side of her shirt and saw that Mika had taped a think bandage of gauze down. He also noticed that it was already bleeding through. He got up and went to get the first aid kit. He sat back down with the kit and opened it. He got out the tape and some more gauze and set the kit aside. He slowly pulled the bandage off. He hissed. It looked like it was going to need stitches. He hesitated. He didn't know what he should do. Sure he could stitch her up no problem but he was pretty sure that she would notice when she woke up… and what if she woke up in the middle of him stitching her up? Then what…

Daryl decided to put some more gauze over the wound and let her figure it out in the morning. Cleaning up the mess he closed the first aid kit and returned it to the bathroom. He walked out of the bathroom and over to his closet and shed his clothes putting them back where he had gotten it from. Walking to the window in the kitchen he glance out of the boards that covered the window. He couldn't see any more walkers lurking at the moment. Glancing around the cabin to make sure everyone was settled he turned back into his wolf form.

His ears twitched as he could hear the disturbances in the forest. The shambling of the walkers and their gurgling groans. He walked back over to the pallet on the floor and curled around the sleeping form of the baby. He would try to figure things out in the morning. He would have to wait and see how the woman would react and what she was going to do. Hopefully nothing stupid.

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Beth felt like she had been beaten from her toes the top of her head. She hurt everywhere. She turned over and felt a searing pain in her side. She hissed. Then she remembered. The Governor, being shot, her father, Maggie, Glenn, Running… lots of running and fighting.

Beth turned her head on the pillow and saw Mika setting in the floor with Judith in her lap. Judith had her teething ring and the black wolf was tugging on the other end. The black wolf with the piercing blue eyes. When she had looked into them the night before she could see a spark of intelligence and understanding. It was something she couldn't understand. She didn't know if she wanted to understand.

"It's okay Beth, we are safe for now. I found these clothes in the closet if you would like to go take a shower. The water isn't hot but at least you'll feel clean. I think you'll feel better." Mika had in her hands a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. She gritted out a smile and nodded her head. She took the items and made her way to the bathroom.

It was dim in the bathroom, the sun shining through the small window high in the wall above the shower. She looked in the mirror and saw her reflection. She was a right mess, but with all things considered at least she was alive. They all were. Her hair had leaves, twigs, and dried walker blood in it. Her skin was clean, at least the dirt and blood looked as if it had been wiped away.

Beth turned away from the mirror and walked over to the shower and turned it on. She shed her blood stained clothes and set her clothing on the toilet. There was a cabinet above the toilet and when she opened it she found a few towels. She grabbed one and set it on top of the clothes.

Taking a deep breath she stepped into the cold water. She hissed as the water hit her side. She looked down at it and saw the gauze. She reached down and took it off to examine the wound. It was going to need a few stitches. It was going to hurt, but she would survive it. She would live. For Judith. For Mika.

For her family.

She felt the unshed tears fall from her eyes. They were hot compared to the cold water of the shower. She allowed herself the tears. She would face the grief in this shower. She would give into it this once. This one and only time. Then she would focus on the living.

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Mika looked away from the bathroom and looked at the black wolf. She knew, some how she knew that it wasn't just a wolf. She knew that she had fallen asleep on the bed but she had woken up on the couch. She also knew that Beth couldn't had moved her in her condition and that Beth had been asleep on the floor. She knew that she had left all the baby supplies on the bed and she had unfortunately not been able to fix Judith a bottle... but somebody had.

She had looked around the cabin when she had woken up and found herself on the couch. She didnt know what time it was, but Judith and Beth had still been asleep. The cabin was just a big open room with three doors. One was the closet, one was to the bathroom and the other led outside. The door that led outside was locked tight. No one could have gotten in from the outside. She had looked in the closet and there was nothing but mens clothing and two pair of worn boots. She had walked to the kitching and found the bottle and other items on the counter.

She had felt the wolf watching her. She had turned and saw that he was still curled around the baby but his ears were pricked forward and he was watching her curoiusly. Almost human like.

Mika came back to the present and looked at the wolf, "I know you're not just a wolf."

Daryl stopped playing with Judith and looked at the girl. He let out a low growl in warning.

"Your not going to hurt us. I know that. You took care of Judith when I couldn't. You took care of Beth and me when we were unable to see to ourselves. Your not bad." Mika lifted her hand and layed it on the bristly fur of his neck.

Daryl tensed.

"I wont tell Beth. Not yet, anyway. I would like to think of you as my friend. I hope I cant talk her into letting you stay... that is if you want to stay."

Daryl huffed. He wasnt sure what he thought of this girl with the all knowing eyes. They seemed to stare into what was left of his soul. Her hand seemed to seer into his fur. Did he want to stay? Did he want to commit himself to this little pack of females?

He stood up and shook himself. He didn't know what he wanted. He knew that he was drawn to the blond woman. That he wanted to protect the children... he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he never had anyone to care for him that way...

'Aw hell...' What was he going to do now?

"Its okay. You don't have to be afraid. "

Daryl snorted. Afraid? He was far from afraid.

Daryl walked towards the bathroom door where he could hear the water running.

He could hear the woman crying. Heart wrenching sobs. He agian wondered what had happened. He needed to understand what was going on if he was going to stay and protect these females.

He looked back over at Mika and Judith. Mika was now playing with Judith as if nothing had happened. Would he stay wolf or would it be better for him to change. What would Beth do? He had to stay...'What a strange feeling this is. This need to stay.' He thought.

For now he decided to watch to see how things would unfold and he would make a decision tonight on what he was going to have to do.

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Sorry it took so long to update. Working twelve hour shifts and having a little one isnt easy. I found myself only being able to write a little at a time between her two naps a day. Boy is she a handfull.

Sorry if the chapters seem slow. Everything should pick up soon.

~MLD


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